this post was submitted on 24 May 2024
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A desert is a very different environment to "normal". Nievly you would think solar would be better.
Unfortunately:
A lot more sand means a lot more cleaning, one of the few ongoing costs of solar.
Sand is ablative. A sand storm will scratch and erode the surface of the panel. This will reduce its efficiency.
Sandstorms can darken the sky. A lot of direct light can be lost to a sandstorm.
Solar panels don't work well when hot. Deserts are generally quite hot, when the sun is shining.
Solder joints don't like thermal stresses. The panels, ultimately need wiring together. The joints (cell to cell, and cell to wire) don't like thermal stresses. Deserts get cold at night, and hot during the day. A lot more panels than normal will be lost to failed electrical connections.
Wind, on the other hand, does well in a large open area. The only additional effects of sand would be blade ablation, and sand in moving parts. Both of these are easier to counter.
I disagree.
The abrasive properties of sand would apply to all machinery (including oil pumps) but today, we seem to have no problem installing tons of oil pumps in the middle of the desert.
Then, abrasive effects are strongest on moving parts (such as wind mills and oil pumps) but not so strong on solid state devices (such as computer chips or solar panels). Therefore, I don't expect that to be much of a problem.
Occasional shade from sand storms are maybe ~5% losses per year, which is not much. In exchange, the rest of the time, the sky is cloudless.
Solar panels can work at 60-70°C easily.